Harvard Completes Championship Sweep With ECAC Title

Mar 02, 2009

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-One day after winning the Ivy
League championship, the Harvard women's swimming and diving team
made it a sweep of the its two league championship meets, finishing
off a team title the ECAC Championships Sunday at Blodgett Pool.

Despite competing with a limited number of athletes, Harvard won
six individual events and two relays and led at the end of each day
of competition. The Crimson took a lead of just 1.5 points over
second-place Rider into the final day but built the advantage to
23.5 points with its total of 494. Towson placed third with 390.5
points, just 5.5 ahead of Marist. Navy rounded out the top five
with 341 points.

Sophomore Anne Taylor was named Diver of the Meet after winning
both the one-meter and three-meter competitions. Classmate Holly
Furman contributed to four event wins, taking the 200- and 500-yard
freestyles and anchoring the winning 200 and 400 medley relay
squads. Junior Natalia Festa and freshmen Alicia Lightbourne and
Monica Burgos also had a hand in both relay wins, and both rookies
took individual titles.

The Crimson was in contention from the outset, with the team of
Festa, freshman Margaret Flatt, Burgos and Lightbourne finishing
second to only Rider in the meet-opening 200 free relay with a mark
of 1:36.27. Harvard soon picked up winning points as Taylor (239.50
points) and freshman Jessica Stanchfield (230.10) took the top two
spots in the three-meter diving and Furman won the 500 free
(4:52.31).

Harvard's third and final win of the opening day came in
record-breaking fashion. The 400 medley squad of Festa,
Lightbourne, Burgos and Furman set a meet record with their
preliminary time of 3:48.92 and trimmed the mark to 3:48.06 to win
the final by more than two seconds. It was the second final of the
day for Lightbourne and Burgos, who placed fourth and seventh,
respectively, in the 50 free.

The same quartet started Saturday with another win, in the 200
medley relay, finishing in 1:43.67. Burgos later finished second in
the 100 butterfly in 55.92 seconds, Furman won the 200 free in
1:49.89 and Lightbourne claimed the 100 breaststroke in 1:03.56.
The Crimson ended the day with another strong performance, as
Lightbourne, senior captain Kelly Mooney, junior Maggie Wollner and
Furman placed third in the 800 free relay with a time of 7:39.33.

Sophomore Katherine Pickard was Harvard's first finalist Sunday,
taking third in the 200 backstroke in 2:02.63. Furman followed with
another third-place showing, in the 100 free in 51.32 seconds,
while Lightbourne placed fifth. Sophomore Kate Mills made the final
of the 200 butterfly, placing seventh in 2:05.49.

Taylor and Stanchfield recorded another diving sweep in the
one-meter, as Taylor took the title with 219.85 points, just one
more than her freshman teammate. Harvard then ended the meet with
one last strong performance, finishing second in the 400 free relay
in 3:27.89. Pickard, Mooney, Burgos and Furman swam for the
Crimson. Rider took the event title but could not catch the Crimson
in overall points and spoil Harvard's perfect weekend.

The Harvard men's swimming and diving team also competed in the
event, placing second behind Navy.